The process of getting the Malfeasance is a rather short and sweet one, as compared to other exotic weapons. Getting the quest started, however, is a brutal process that boils down to luck and timing.
Step 1: Ascendant Primeval Servitor
First, you need a special boss to spawn. Welcome to the RNG portion of the quest. Instead of Primeval, it’ll be the floating meatball from the end of the Forsaken campaign, the “Ascendant Primeval Servitor”. He could spawn at your first Gambit match, or you could grind for 8 hours and won’t see him once. It is totally random so be prepared for the worst and hope for the best. He seems to only spawn when you have a chance of winning the match, so it looks like he won’t ever spawn on the first match. Once he spawns, kill him. Kill the envoy’s first, which will take down the Primeval’s stacks. Save your supers and other resources until after the first few invasions, and once you’re in melt mode - then go in for the kill on the Primeval. If you’re melting Primeval and he’s just about to die, ignore the invasion and continue killing. Don’t get into position for the invader, in positions easy to pick off. Once you kill the Primeval, you’ll get A Seething Heart found in the Pursuits category of your inventory. It will tell you to talk to Drifter in the Tower.
Step 2: 25 Taken Bosses
Your next step will be to kill 25 Taken bosses or mini-bosses. Head to Dreaming City and wait for enemies to move against each other. The Taken sometimes even spawn inside the doorway. For the last few, you can farm and kill Lost Sector bosses and even waves from the Blind Well.
Step 3: Darkness In The Light
The quest updates to complete a special version of “The Corrupted” Strike. Go to the top of Dreaming City and you’ll find the ‘Darkness In The Light’ quest marker a little lower than the actual Strike. A 580 power level is recommended, but you can do this special corrupted mission with 3 people and once you’re underway, 3 more can join you so you can have a total of 6 people in this special mission. There isn’t a time limit, so take your time to proceed through the mission until you defeat the boss. If you’re enjoying the lore of the game, look forward to the dialogue about the Drifter’s past. Once this Strike is completed, you’ll receive a Depleted Weapon Core and need to return to the Drifter in the Tower once again.
Step 4: Motes and Gambit Wins
Your next step consists of two parts, deposit about 500 motes of the Dark and get 10 Gambit match wins. The catch with the depositing motes part is that if you die with motes, it will subtract twice that from your total score - if you have 300 motes banked, and you are carrying 10 motes and you die, it’ll subtract 20 from your total for a remainder of 280. Don’t get too greedy, store 5 or 10 motes and then bank, and bank often. As for the ten Gambit wins, this will depend on how good a PvP player you are and how many teammates you know. Use your super very often while grinding these out. Any exotic armour that helps you get your super back faster would be fantastic in this scenario as well. After completing the two objectives, the new quest step will ask for more Gambit from you.
Step Five:
First, you’ll need to kill 25 opposing Guardians as an invader, or you can get an ally to do it. The other step is getting four kills in one match yourself, or having an ally get four kills in an invasion a total of three times. You can complete this in one step if you invade and you get four kills. Not killing all 4 players, just 4 kills in general. It’s easier than hunting all 4 players. A Sleeper or Rocket Launcher with tracking will be helpful for killing with one-shots for this part, also sniper rifles or fusion rifles if you’re good with them. Take the extra time to flank, be sneaky so you can avoid being killed, and you’ll be on your way to getting the four kills yourself. Once you’ve completed those final steps, head back to the Drifter and you’ll be rewarded with Malfeasance. Hopefully, a buddy has one too, and you can team up to take down shields quickly as your shots add up for quick explosions. Enjoy your reward!
Is the Malfeasance Worth It?
The whole charm of Malfeasance lies in its special, the Explosive Shadow. But in order to activate the perk, you’ll need to shoot five rounds at an enemy, and here’s where the problem arises. Malfeasance is a primary weapon that you’ll use on low to mid-tier enemies. Most of the low to mid-tier enemies can’t even survive the first five shots from the Malfeasance, therefore rendering it like any other gun which lacks lustre. You can activate the Malfeasance’s explosive perk on top-tier enemies such as Knights or Captains, but you’re better off using special and heavy ammo for top-tier enemies for maximum damage. The optimal situation for Malfeasance to step in is when you’re fighting a high-tier enemy and run out of specials or heavy ammo. In PVP mode, Malfeasance presents the same problem. Your enemies are quite likely to die from the bullet damage of five shots before the perk is activated. On a rare chance that they still have some health left on the 5th shot, then the explosive shadow will be a spectacular grand finale. All in all, the Malfeasance doesn’t hold up to its menacing name and exotic status. In most cases, you won’t be able to activate its special perk. But, on the contrary, getting the Malfeasance is much easier than other exotic weapons.
